198 



Garnet. — This mineral, until witliin the last two or three years, was 

 regarded as a rare occurrence in this neighbourhood, being principally 

 confined to small crystals, distributed through the laurentian gneisses. 

 In the vicinity of the Baldwin Mines in Hull, the pi'ecious variety, pro- 

 bably almandine of a blood-red color, in lamellar masses, often an inch 

 or more across, occurs in a schistose lock. A massive variety of a 

 dingy reddish-brown color occurs on lot 18, range 2, of Wakefield, in a 

 vein cutting the stratification. Crystals showing rhombic faces 

 sometimes an inch or more across, are associated with crystals of 

 epidote and stilbite in the more cavernous portions of the vein. The 

 above garnet was mined to the extent of about two tons, in supposition 

 that it was apatite. A red variety of this mineral occurs — according 

 to Dr. Harrington — on lot 12, range 12, of Templeton. An amber- 

 colored garnet, probably essonite, occurs on lot 14, range 1, of Wake- 

 field. This locality a few years ago afforded some handsome crystals, 

 having been extracted for apatite. A certain gentleman on hearing of 

 the occurrence, with an eye to dollans and cents rather than national 

 development, obtained, either by gif"-/ or purchase, nearly all the out- 

 put. I am told some of these crystals measured three inches across, all 

 of which were sold in the States. This locality has since been visited 

 by dealers from Philadelphia and New York, who have now almost ex- 

 hausted the mineral. These crystals occur in a bed of wollast^nite, 

 with brown prisms of idocraso ; sometimes the latter mineral is im- 

 bedded in the former. Occasionally patches of a translucent scapolite 

 ai-e entirely enveloped in a coating of garnet. Notwithstanding its 

 high lustre and bright color, it could not be applied to any ornamental 

 use, owing to the gi-ains constituting the crystals, being so loosely co- 

 herent. 



A few miles west of this locality, on lot G, in the same range, 

 handsome crystals of a lime garnet, occur in a band of crystalline lime- 

 stone, associated with pyrite, galena, sphalerite, wollastonite and py- 

 roxene, forms exhibiting the faces of the rhombic dodecxhedron and 

 trapezfthedron being common. Layers of the latter are often extended 

 almost to the obliteration of the former. Their color varies from white, 

 or almost colorless, to dark-green, passing through wine-yellow, sul- 

 phur-yellow, and purple. 0;ie pn-fect crystal fro'u this loc.ility would 



